Author: dhruv

4 Types of Viruses and How to Deal With Them

Viruses are undesirable programs that damage computer files and processes and are potentially a huge breach of privacy.

What is a Resident Virus? (with pictures)

I will talk about 4 extremely common viruses and how to get rid of them if you have a contaminated device. 

Generally speaking, it is good practice to not fall victim to viruses altogether by avoiding downloading files from unregistered/unknown developers through the internet. I personally, make it a point to avoid downloading torrent files and never access http websites. Keep an eye out for the ‘s’ after ‘http’, it could make a world of difference. Keeping the above in mind would reduce the chances of you being a victim to a virus.

Resident Virus

The resident virus sets up shop in the system’s memory (RAM) and slows your laptop down significantly. If the host application is completely shut down, the virus will still run in the background. Sometimes the resident virus does massive damage quickly and is easy to notice. Other times, the virus spreads widely and may go unnoticed for a large duration of time.

The resident virus is very difficult to get rid of. Due to how deep it is embedded into the system, finding an antivirus that would remove this is tough. For more stubborn versions of this, it may be necessary to call in experts to remove the virus before resorting to resetting the device as a guaranteed remedy.

Multipartite Virus

One of the most dangerous and harmful viruses for your computer is a multipartite virus. This virus infects executable files and may even infect the RAM similar to a resident virus. The virus works to attack both components at the same time, making it one to watch out for.

An antivirus is your knight in shining armour. Because the virus attacks your files and your memory, it is very difficult to manually trace the virus and is best done through an antivirus. To avoid spreading the virus to multiple devices, all files that have been transferred from the infected device to others via USB should be deleted. 

Browser Hijackers 

Browsers hijackers change the settings of the user without their permission and expose the user to unwanted websites, advertisements and sometimes even pop-ups. Browser hijackers normally come in the form of free software online and sometimes even unverified browser extensions.

Reinstallation of the infected browser(s) may allow for the browser hijacker to not latch on to the re-installed version. It is further advised to uninstall the files that brought the hijackers along with them. In some more advanced versions of the virus, the harms of the virus may be seen even if all browsers are closed and initiate pop-ups all over the screen. In such a situation, it is advisable to reinstall the operating system.

Overwrite Virus

As the name might suggest, the overwrite virus edits existing files and overwrites it with absolutely random and useless data. This is a virus that you absolutely do not want on your work computer as in it’s worst form it is also capable of completely deleting files with little to no hope of recovery.

The overwrite virus is treatable by any standard antivirus and would not require a hard reset of your device no matter the severity of the situation. It would be advisable to delete files that introduced the virus in the system as the virus is a form of malware.

Takeaway

Antiviruses do not discriminate. We have all ignored getting an antivirus set up on our devices. It’s clearly a good investment to protect your daily driver and privacy especially in a digital world like today’s where online safety is a rising concern. Stay Safe!

Euthanasia: The right to live or the right to die?

what is euthanasia?

Euthanasia is the process of ending the life of one who is suffering from an incurable illness in a quick and painless manner. This is a topic that is constantly debated over and was only recently legalised in India in 2017. 

Ethics Questions Asked at Medical Interviews | Euthanasia - theMSAG

Forms of Euthanasia:

Due to it’s complications, euthanasia is divided into several types.

Active euthanasia is when a doctor directly ends another person’s life with necessary consent. Purposefully providing the patient with lethal doses of sedatives qualifies as a method of this.

Passive euthanasia is when the doctor limits life support to increase the speed at which the patient passes away.

Voluntary euthanasia: The patient opts for ending their own life in a fully conscious state of awareness.

Involuntary euthanasia: Here, consent for euthanasia is seeked for by a close family relative due to the patient’s unconscious state. In such a scenario doctors generally opt for passive euthanasia due to the patients limited brain function.

Euthanasia in it’s nature, seems justifiable for several reasons of morality and unjust due to it’s immorality. Because of this, laws regarding euthanasia are made very carefully and have a large number of potential scenarios explained in clauses and sub-clauses. 

Why euthanasia should be supported:

  1. People suffering from extremely painful and borderline incurable diseases should not have to suffer until their disease kills them. They should be allowed relief from pain and suffering as soon as possible.
  1. Seeing loved ones suffer through such rough conditions is an extremely difficult sight to see and providing them support which is barely going to contribute to their good health can be mentally taxing and exhausting.                       
  1. After euthanisation, knowing that the person is now no longer in pain and suffering is better than watching them suffer every single day. It is a better closure than having to support a terminally ill patient to no end.

Why euthanasia is not supported:

  1. Nobody has the right to decide to end another person’s life other than the person themself.
  2. It is tough for the family to make a choice of such nature. While they do love their family member they are stuck deciding if they should let them suffer or if they should decide to put an end to their life.
  3. The big “What if?”. “What if the doctors would have figured out a method to save the patient if they hadn’t decided to opt for euthanasia?” This is a train of thought that can be disastrous to the mental health of those who supported the decision of euthanisation. This is arguably worse than having to provide moral support to an extremely ill patient.

Purpose

This is not a very optimistic write-up. The purpose of this was to make people question their own sense of morality and bring forth the realisation of how morality is not just a rule book but requires a great deal of thought and defines what it is to be emotional beings.